I have been contemplating dual citizenship, that is the role of Christians as citizens of some or another particular nation while being simultaneously citizens of God's Kingdom. Some would argue that we are not dual citizens, that we are Kingdom citizens and aliens in a strange land. There is much scripture to back that up. Not the least of which is a call to be in the world but not of it, which is not a command, but an implied position (John 17:9-19) .
However, I would argue that being in it means recognizing that we exist within of a particular nation. I also don't think that scripture tells us that being in any one nation or supporting it is bad, so long as doing so does not conflict with the ideals of the Kingdom or better stated, the will of God. I believe that when the two come in conflict, Christians have to side with God. Otherwise, you have made the nation your god, and the real, live, actual God has previously expressed His opinions regarding idolatry.
Is there a scriptural reference that specifically says we are citizens of both? I think there is, but haven't found one. I don't mean text that say submit to human institutions or honor and respect Emperors or anything of that nature, like Romans 13 or 1 Peter 2, but am looking for something that specifically mentions being citizens of a nation and what that entails as a Christian.
I ask because there is a plethora of the other, scripture saying we are strangers, exiles, sojourners, aliens in a foreign land, etc. (Ephesians 2:19, Hebrews 11:13, 1 Peter 2:11)
In a recent Youtube video I watched, titled John Piper's heart in the 2008 elections, Piper says we are dual citizens, but I couldn't help wonder what he based that on.
Some other commentary I found on the subject comes from a pastor's blog, Mike's Musings and from a Jim Wallis&Friends/Sojourners Blog by Rich Nathan.
The word we translate as world throughout the New Testament is "kosmou" the same Greek root from which we get cosmos. In the NT, we read that Satan controls the "kosmou" ( John 12:31, 16:11 and 1 John 5:19) but that we are to be in the world (John 17:9-19) while conforming ourselves, and our minds, to that of Jesus Christ (Romans 12:2). So, where does this fit into our political context?
If you have thought about any of this, please post them.
Friday, November 7, 2008
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Shane Claiborne at Asbury
Shane Claiborne, author of The Irresistible Revolution: Living as an Ordinary Radical and Jesus for President: Politics for Ordinary Radicals came to both the Asbury College and Seminary campuses today. While at the seminary, he spoke at our chapel service and then joined a panel of others from a simple way and communality for a Q/A session. Laurie drove up to join me in these events.
He was very interesting and his teachings were scripturally based. His points were in favor of Kingdom over against Empire. He was well spoken and, by and large, right, I think.
The content of his presentation was not extremely different from my last post, especially in regards to abortion and gays. Nor was the bulk of his message terribly different from what I studied in IS501 - Kingdom, Church, and World. Thanks Ruthanne. Incidentally, I still highly recommend Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire and Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony texts from that class.
One observation of Shane's comments that I would like to bring to light is that he did not say anything about not being involved in the political system. He did mention that he would not publicly endorse a candidate. His candidate is Jesus. However, he also said that he intends to use the system to promote his agenda, bringing about the Kingdom on Earth as it is in heaven. He says that he will study the word and support whoever brings us closer to that goal. Which does not seem to me contradictory to 1 Peter 2:13-17.
1 Peter 2:13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Although Shane did mention building kingdom, he did not mention Empire much at all, except in the litany/prayer (Download Litany Here). The main thing he said about our lives in regard to the Empire was that we should place God first, and ourself, our people, and our nation somewhere on down the line. I wouldn't argue against that. Even the pledge of allegiance says 'one nation under God.'
He said when surveyed the typical person will describe a Christian as: 1. Anti-gay, 2. judgmental, and 3. Hypocritical. To me, this is not too hard to believe. He continued the conversation with the scripture from Matthew when John the Baptist send his disciples to Jesus to ask if Jesus was 'the One' or should we look for another. Jesus does not give a simple yes or no answer. He says look at my life and you tell me what you see. the lame walk, the blind see, etc. What do you think? Shane then continued stating the same should be said of Christians. If someone asks you if you are a Christian, they should be able to look at your life and know the answer. Anti-gay, judgmental, and hypocritical is a an image problem. It means that we are in fact not acting very much like Christ. His point, love your neighbor, build the kingdom.
In the talk back (ATS's term for Q&A session) he mentioned more in regard to Empire, but the time was full of pregnant pauses and answer that were incomplete to the question.
Shane spoke about the use of the term authorities in Romans 13:1-3 as compared to its use in Ephesians 6:12, noting the same authorship, but did not draw any conclusion, explain, or exegete. Shane did offer a resource for further study; Appendix 3 is from Jesus for President and explains what Shane was attempting to convey. I probably need to take a look at that myself for further consideration. Especially in regard to first Peter, which I have studied in depth.
Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
He was very interesting and his teachings were scripturally based. His points were in favor of Kingdom over against Empire. He was well spoken and, by and large, right, I think.
The content of his presentation was not extremely different from my last post, especially in regards to abortion and gays. Nor was the bulk of his message terribly different from what I studied in IS501 - Kingdom, Church, and World. Thanks Ruthanne. Incidentally, I still highly recommend Colossians Remixed: Subverting the Empire and Resident Aliens: Life in the Christian Colony texts from that class.
One observation of Shane's comments that I would like to bring to light is that he did not say anything about not being involved in the political system. He did mention that he would not publicly endorse a candidate. His candidate is Jesus. However, he also said that he intends to use the system to promote his agenda, bringing about the Kingdom on Earth as it is in heaven. He says that he will study the word and support whoever brings us closer to that goal. Which does not seem to me contradictory to 1 Peter 2:13-17.
1 Peter 2:13 Be subject for the Lord's sake to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor as supreme, 14 or to governors as sent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. 15 For this is the will of God, that by doing good you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. 16 Live as people who are free, not using your freedom as a cover-up for evil, but living as servants of God. 17 Honor everyone. Love the brotherhood. Fear God. Honor the emperor.
Although Shane did mention building kingdom, he did not mention Empire much at all, except in the litany/prayer (Download Litany Here). The main thing he said about our lives in regard to the Empire was that we should place God first, and ourself, our people, and our nation somewhere on down the line. I wouldn't argue against that. Even the pledge of allegiance says 'one nation under God.'
He said when surveyed the typical person will describe a Christian as: 1. Anti-gay, 2. judgmental, and 3. Hypocritical. To me, this is not too hard to believe. He continued the conversation with the scripture from Matthew when John the Baptist send his disciples to Jesus to ask if Jesus was 'the One' or should we look for another. Jesus does not give a simple yes or no answer. He says look at my life and you tell me what you see. the lame walk, the blind see, etc. What do you think? Shane then continued stating the same should be said of Christians. If someone asks you if you are a Christian, they should be able to look at your life and know the answer. Anti-gay, judgmental, and hypocritical is a an image problem. It means that we are in fact not acting very much like Christ. His point, love your neighbor, build the kingdom.
In the talk back (ATS's term for Q&A session) he mentioned more in regard to Empire, but the time was full of pregnant pauses and answer that were incomplete to the question.
Shane spoke about the use of the term authorities in Romans 13:1-3 as compared to its use in Ephesians 6:12, noting the same authorship, but did not draw any conclusion, explain, or exegete. Shane did offer a resource for further study; Appendix 3 is from Jesus for President and explains what Shane was attempting to convey. I probably need to take a look at that myself for further consideration. Especially in regard to first Peter, which I have studied in depth.
Romans 13:1 Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. 2 Therefore whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment.
Ephesians 6:12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places.
Election Day
Today is election day; for better or for worse, the people of the United States will determine who will 'serve' as the next President. It is a historic day not only in that we will be determining the President but especially because, regardless of the results, we will either have the nation's first African-American President or its first female vice-President.
There has been a lot of turmoil in my extended family regarding this particular election. All of the involved parties are deeply devoted Christians and each are convinced that their decision best reflects their faith. The trouble is among these decisions are such diverse options as abstinence from voting, writing in YHWH (Another one of my relatives who has decided not to vote has considered, if not seriously, writing in Jesus of Nazareth), and as might be expected, supporters of both main party candidates.
The truth of the matter is, there is no best answer. There is a book by Jim Wallis, which I admittedly have not read, titled God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left doesn't Get It. I know that you can't judge a book by the cover, but the title alone reveals to me a great truth. You have likely heard it said that God is neither a Republican nor Democrat. This is a truism. Neither side has all the right answers. Why? Because we are not a Christian nation and our politics do not reflect Christian beliefs. At best, we are Christian who attempt to make our faith known in our political choices, in order to fulfill His will. At worst, we are apathetic in all concerns. Support of either party neglects important aspects of Christianity that the other party addresses more adequately.
Most Americans that identify themselves as Christians are staunchly American and nominally Christians, at best. Most Christians have no idea what it means to live a life modeled on Christ. Most have no idea what it means to love God with everything they've got and to love their neighbors. In fact, most of the church think the best way to love their neighbors is to allow the government to take care of it for them. They consider paying taxes and the nation's ability to help the disadvantage as their Christian contribution to the embodiment Mathew 25:31-46.
While one side is typically concerned with Family values, the other is concerned with saving the earth. While one side is concerned with life & abortion the other is concerned with life & capitol punishment. Yet, all life is sacred to God. How is our love of God expressed in these situations.
People are wrapped up in issues like gay marriage and civil unions. Some say that any such thing is an abomination. Others say that it is a crime to deny these couples family insurance and survival benefits, etc. The bottom line is how are we loving them?
If Jesus hung out with prostitutes and sinners, who would he hang out with if he were born 1975 years later?
Besides gay marriage never destroyed a family. The number one leading cause for divorce in the United States is debt. Families struggle to make ends meet and cover their bills. The related stress breaks up the family. You want to solve the issue of family values, help American get out of debt. The second leading cause for divorce is infidelity, which, incidentally, the bible includes as a sexual sin.
While some Americans think abortion, regardless of reason is wrong, most Americans agree that it, at the minimum, should not be used as a convenience, as a birth control. Regardless on your stance on abortion, most women who get abortions do so because they feel it is their only option. If the church was as loving, open, supportive, and forgiving as it is called to be; those women would feel like they had a choice. Sometimes, however, those women are ostracized by their 'Christian' family members for having premarital sex. The family is worried about its reputation in the church because the church tends to be so judgmental and unforgiving. Why is that? We are a forgiven people for goodness sake!
There are many other issues that are neither right nor wrong, neither right nor left. I have only touched on a few. One problem with our system is that so many Americans will vote today, to select who will represent their views, and then forget about it until the next election. How many are actually expressing their views to their elected officials. How can they represent what you stand for if you do not tell them for what you stand? How often does the minority opinion become public policy simply because that opinion is the one vocalized? Share your opinion, write your elected officials and tell them what you think. But be polite and speak the truth IN LOVE.
I can't tell you how to vote and would dare to try to do so. It is a struggle to attempt to determine how any one person, particularly one driven by political agendas, would represent any other persons faith and moral beliefs. I would encourage your participation in the system. I wold encourage you to have an informed opinion and make a decision. And if you abstain for voting in order to vote of n0-confidence, or as a vote against the system, or in the opinion that your voice is not represented, I understand.
I have already voted today. As for my opinion on not voting, I would prefer you (particularly & in general) vote for Jesus of Nazareth than not at all.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading.
There has been a lot of turmoil in my extended family regarding this particular election. All of the involved parties are deeply devoted Christians and each are convinced that their decision best reflects their faith. The trouble is among these decisions are such diverse options as abstinence from voting, writing in YHWH (Another one of my relatives who has decided not to vote has considered, if not seriously, writing in Jesus of Nazareth), and as might be expected, supporters of both main party candidates.
The truth of the matter is, there is no best answer. There is a book by Jim Wallis, which I admittedly have not read, titled God's Politics: Why the Right Gets it Wrong and the Left doesn't Get It. I know that you can't judge a book by the cover, but the title alone reveals to me a great truth. You have likely heard it said that God is neither a Republican nor Democrat. This is a truism. Neither side has all the right answers. Why? Because we are not a Christian nation and our politics do not reflect Christian beliefs. At best, we are Christian who attempt to make our faith known in our political choices, in order to fulfill His will. At worst, we are apathetic in all concerns. Support of either party neglects important aspects of Christianity that the other party addresses more adequately.
Most Americans that identify themselves as Christians are staunchly American and nominally Christians, at best. Most Christians have no idea what it means to live a life modeled on Christ. Most have no idea what it means to love God with everything they've got and to love their neighbors. In fact, most of the church think the best way to love their neighbors is to allow the government to take care of it for them. They consider paying taxes and the nation's ability to help the disadvantage as their Christian contribution to the embodiment Mathew 25:31-46.
While one side is typically concerned with Family values, the other is concerned with saving the earth. While one side is concerned with life & abortion the other is concerned with life & capitol punishment. Yet, all life is sacred to God. How is our love of God expressed in these situations.
People are wrapped up in issues like gay marriage and civil unions. Some say that any such thing is an abomination. Others say that it is a crime to deny these couples family insurance and survival benefits, etc. The bottom line is how are we loving them?
If Jesus hung out with prostitutes and sinners, who would he hang out with if he were born 1975 years later?
Besides gay marriage never destroyed a family. The number one leading cause for divorce in the United States is debt. Families struggle to make ends meet and cover their bills. The related stress breaks up the family. You want to solve the issue of family values, help American get out of debt. The second leading cause for divorce is infidelity, which, incidentally, the bible includes as a sexual sin.
While some Americans think abortion, regardless of reason is wrong, most Americans agree that it, at the minimum, should not be used as a convenience, as a birth control. Regardless on your stance on abortion, most women who get abortions do so because they feel it is their only option. If the church was as loving, open, supportive, and forgiving as it is called to be; those women would feel like they had a choice. Sometimes, however, those women are ostracized by their 'Christian' family members for having premarital sex. The family is worried about its reputation in the church because the church tends to be so judgmental and unforgiving. Why is that? We are a forgiven people for goodness sake!
There are many other issues that are neither right nor wrong, neither right nor left. I have only touched on a few. One problem with our system is that so many Americans will vote today, to select who will represent their views, and then forget about it until the next election. How many are actually expressing their views to their elected officials. How can they represent what you stand for if you do not tell them for what you stand? How often does the minority opinion become public policy simply because that opinion is the one vocalized? Share your opinion, write your elected officials and tell them what you think. But be polite and speak the truth IN LOVE.
I can't tell you how to vote and would dare to try to do so. It is a struggle to attempt to determine how any one person, particularly one driven by political agendas, would represent any other persons faith and moral beliefs. I would encourage your participation in the system. I wold encourage you to have an informed opinion and make a decision. And if you abstain for voting in order to vote of n0-confidence, or as a vote against the system, or in the opinion that your voice is not represented, I understand.
I have already voted today. As for my opinion on not voting, I would prefer you (particularly & in general) vote for Jesus of Nazareth than not at all.
That's all for now. Thanks for reading.
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